Voicings

Lesson 4/194 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Rhythm Guitar

Voicings

As with all chords, there is more than one fingering on the guitar for a C7 chord. The diagram below shows an alternative voicing for C7. The term "voicing" means the arrangement of notes in a particular fingering, with the notes arranged from the lowest to the highest.

The C7 chord will always contain C (1 ), E (3), G (5) and Bb (b7), but it is possible to arrange these notes in any order. The fingering shown below is voiced 3, b7, 1, 5.

C⁷

Like the previous C7 shape, this chord is also moveable. The root note (C) in this voicing is on the 2nd string, so when moving the chord along the fretboard, whichever note is under your first finger will be the name of the chord. The following example moves between the chords C7, F7 and G7.

Below are six new moveable 7th chord shapes to go with the two C7 shapes you have already learnt. All these shapes are used in many styles, so be sure to memorize them well.

A⁷ Form

G⁷ Form

E⁷ Form (1)

E⁷ Form (2)

E⁷ Form (3)

D⁷ Form

Notice that there are three shapes here for the E7 chord. It is also possible to find alternative fingerings for the other chords shown here. Once you know which notes make up a particular chord, it is possible to arrange the notes in any order as long as the fingering is practical.

Here are some exercises to help you get comfortable with these 7th chord shapes. The first one uses the A7 form moved to a different position on the fretboard for each chord. The root note on the 5th string will tell you which fret to move to for each chord.

This one uses a G7 form moved between the same chords as the previous example. This time the root note is on the 3rd string.

This example uses all three variations of the E7 form. The root note is on the 1st string.

3rd fret

1rd fret

8rd fret

3rd fret

To complete the five forms, here is one which uses the D7 form. The root note is on the 4th string. Take care with the change of rhythm in the final bar.

C form (1)

C form (2)

A form

G form

E form (1)

E form (2)

E form (3)

D form

After learning each of the 7th chord forms, try joining them all up in the one key. This example uses all the moveable 7th chord shapes you have learnt so far. Each of the shapes is played here as a C7 chord.

Don’t forget to experiment with playing 7th chords as arpeggios, as shown here.

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1- INTRODUCTION 2- The C Major Chord 3- A Major Chord 4- Eighth Note Rhythms 5- Minor Chords 6- F Major Chord 7- B Minor Chord 8- Silent Strums and Continuous Rhythms 9- Suspended Chords 10- Bass Note Rhythm Patterns in Four Four Time 11- Alternative Chord Shapes 12- How to Read Music 13- Notes on the First String 14- LESSON THIRTEEN 15- Notes on the Fourth String 16- Rhythm Notation 17- Learning all the Notes 18- The Major Scale 19- Intervals 20- Understanding Chords 21- Chord Construction – Triads 22- Scale Tone Chords 23- Minor Scales and Keys 24- Relative Keys 25- Minor Key Scale Tone Triads 26- Playing Two Strings Together 27- Rests 28- Identifying Rhythms 29- Syncopation 30- Bar Chords 31- Learning the Whole Fretboard 32- Moveable Chord Shapes in Five Forms 33- Moveable Minor Chord Shapes 34- The Triplet 35- More About 12 Bar Blues 36- Seventh Chords 37- Creating Riffs From Scales 38- Open Position Minor Pentatonic Scale 39- The Blues Scale 40- Boogie Rhythms 41- Sixteenth Notes 42- Major Seventh Chords 43- Ninth Chords 44- Extended Chords 45- Sliding Chords 46- Slurs 47- Modes 48- The Seven Sharp Nine Chord 49- Tritones 50- Chord Embellishment 51- Odd Time Signatures 52- Playing With a Band 53- Playing With a Rhythm Section 54- Putting it all Together 55- Moveable Chord Shapes 56- Tuning 57- Using the Compact Discs 58- Strumming 59- Slide Finger 60- Eighth Note Rhythms Patterns 61- Three Four Time Rhythm Patterns 62- Turnaround Progressions 63- Silent Strum Symbols 64- Alternate Bass Note Picking 65- Major Sixth Chords 66- Tablature 67- Overdrive and Distortion 68- Alternate Picking 69- Notes on the Fifth String 70- Major Chord Formations 71- Tones and Semitones 72- The G Major Scale 73- Interval Qualities 74- Arpeggios 75- Augmented and Diminished Chords 76- Major Key Triad Pattern 77- The Natural Minor Scale 78- Slash Chords 79- Power Chords 80- Percussive Strumming 81- Riffs 82- Changing Between Shapes 83- Note on the Guitar Fretboard 84- Three Note Chord Voicings 85- The Half Bar 86- Strumming Triplets 87- New Topic 88- Moveable 7th Chord Forms 89- E Minor Pentatonic Scale 90- Open Position A Blues Scale 91- Experimenting With Sounds 92- Riffs Using Sixteenth Notes 93- Minor Seventh Chords 94- Eleventh Chords 95- Combining Riffs and Chords 96- Slurs Using Open Strings 97- The Mixolydian Mode 98- 7sus Chords 99- 6ths 100- The Bass 101- Working With Another Guitarist 102- Chord Formulas 103- Electronic Tuning 104- The Seventh Chord 105- 12 Bar Blues 106- Bass Note Rhythm Patterns 107- Alternate Chord Fingerings 108- Rhythm Variations 109- Music Notation 110- Notes on the Second String 111- Notes on the Sixth String 112- Ties 113- Sharps 114- Keys and Key Signatures 115- Interval Distances 116- Transposing 117- The Harmonic Minor Scale 118- Bass Runs 119- Moveable Power Chords 120- Developing Rhythmic Control 121- Notes in More Than One Place 122- Four Note Chord Voicings 123- Three and Four Note Minor Chords Voicings 124- Understanding Triplet Rhythms 125- Voicings 126- Open Position E Blues Scale 127- Common 16th Note Figures 128- Jazz Progressions 129- Thirteenth Chords 130- Sixteenth Note Triplets 131- Swamp Sounds 132- The Dorian Mode 133- 3rds 134- Bass Music Notation 135- Scale Tone Seventh Construction 136- Tuning Your Guitar 137- Chord Progressions 138- The Open Position 139- Notes on the Third String 140- The Lead-in 141- The Chromatic Scale 142- Finding Intervals on the Fretboard 143- Primary Chords 144- The Melodic Minor Scale 145- Chords in Other Minor Keys 146- Right Hand Damping 147- Playing Two Strings With the First Finger 148- Position Playing 149- Root 4 and Root 3 Chords 150- Quarter Note Triplets 151- Superimposing Chord Forms 152- Gaining Control of Sixteenth Notes 153- Chord Construction Chart 154- Other Modes 155- 4ths 156- The Drums 157- Scale Tone 7ths in all Keys 158- Acoustic Guitars 159- Rhythm Patterns 160- The Octave 161- Flats 162- Identifying Intervals by Ear 163- Harmonizing Melodies 164- Table of Minor Scales 165- Transposing in Minor Keys 166- Rock "n" Roll Chords 167- Add Nine Chords 168- Higher and Lower Octaves of Notes 169- Swing Rhythms 170- Power Chord Sixteenth Note Parts 171- Omitting Notes From Chords 172- Major 7ths 173- Drum Notation 174- Altered Chord Formulas 175- Electric Guitars 176- Open Chord Shapes 177- Common Progressions 178- Harmonic Minor Scale Tone Chords 179- Adding Scale Tones To Chords 180- The Shuffle 181- Altered Chords 182- Minor 7ths 183- Amplifiers 184- Chord Shapes 185- Melodic Minor Scale Tone Chords 186- 2nds and 5ths 187- Strings 188- How to Hold the Guitar 189- The Rudiments of Music 190- Time Signatures 191- Note Values 192- Note, Rhythms and Rests 193- Chord Diagrams 194- Rhythm Symbols

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Voicings

Voicings

Peter Gelling

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